Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Pan Seared Grits

This was/is a delicious dish to make. We did make a very slight few changes, but it did not deter form the flavor of this dish. You would think it to be a breakfast dish, but that does not have to be so. You could easily make this a side dish for dinner.

In fact the next time I make this dish, I will make a bowl of gravy and pour it over the grits, but you do not have to do this to complete this easy, simple dish to make.

* First, make the grits and have them as usual for breakfast. (I made them at night and let them cool in the frig overnight)You could make the whole batch and put them straight in the fridge to chill for pan searing later, but I find it much more enjoyable to have the whole grits experience - traditional soft grits for breakfast one day, and the sliced version the next morning...

~ In a saucepan, bring the water, milk or soy milk, and salt to a boil.~ Reduce the heat to medium-low, whisk in the grits, cover, and simmer for around 7 minutes, stirring and recovering frequently until the grits are thick and creamy,~ Remove from the heat, and stir in the Parmesan.~ Enjoy some for breakfast, nice and warm, and then place the leftovers in a square dish in the fridge...~ After the grits are well chilled and firm (letting them chill overnight is best), turn the square container upside down to flip out a solid square of grits. (We had to run a knife along the edge to loosen the grits, but easy schmeazy they fell out of the pan)~ Using a sharp knife, cut the grits into 3/4' slices.~ Season both sides of each slice with salt and black pepper. (This is where I goofed, I sprinkled a bit too much salt, but other than that, they were perfect)~ Coat a large skillet with cooking spray.~ Over medium high heat, sear the slices until well-browned on each side.~ Serve immediately, 'piping hot...'"

There is nothing left to say about this classic Southern dish. Simple ingredients and simple cooking/planning. Enjoy and let me know what you think. *this dish makes enough for a family of 4-6 or for 2 different meals*